Gabrielle came to, slowly opening her eyes against the harsh sunlight that
entered through the cave mouth. She was lying on her back and as she looked up at the sharp stalactites pointing down
at her, she quickly, she sat up, only to find her hands tied in front of her and
legs bound, added to which she had a thumping headache. The past morning's events
came rushing back to her, remembering her shock at being hauled out of her
bedroll, by Amazons. She had tried reasoning with them, but the fight that had
ensued ended abruptly with her sustaining a blow to the head. She
looked around at her dismal surroundings from the back of the cave, spotting
several camp fires dotted around inside, a large ring of Amazons around each.
The noise inside the cave was horrendous, especially to Gabrielle's fragile
head.

"Excuse me!" she shouted over the din. No one paid her any
attention. "Hello! Would you untie me, please!" she tried again.

For the next quarter candlemark, she hollered and yelled to be freed, until
at last, one heavy-set woman stood up and came over to her. It went deathly
silent in the cave and Gabrielle watched the Amazon approach with a growing
apprehension that was quickly rising from her stomach to her throat.

"Shut the fuck up, you sorry excuse for an Amazon," said the woman,
pointing a finger at her.

"You'll have to kill me to do that," Gabrielle spat at her captor,
straining against the ropes binding her hands.

"Oh trust me, you might get your wish soon," snarled the Amazon,
grabbing her by the hair.

"Raska! Litala might not take kindly to you spoiling her goods!"
came another voice.

"Oh, she's going to kill her anyway!" Raska backhanded her across the face. A few drops of blood sprayed onto the floor
next to Gabrielle, as the force of the blow caused the blonde to fall into the
dirt again, face-first. The sound of laughter echoed through the cave from
Raska's
group as the
Amazon resumed her place by a fire and the clamour of voices grew higher again.
Gabrielle pushed herself back into a sitting position and leaned back against
the cave wall, spitting the blood that pooled in her mouth out. Slowly, she
became aware of snippets of conversation from around the fires. Concentrating,
she honed in on one particular one close by.

"It's gonna be wild," one red headed Amazon was saying, excitedly
to her companions.

"I know what you mean. I can't believe we're actually here!"
replied one of her friends. "I can't believe Queen Litala is letting us
fight!"

"Yeah, it's great that we're about to battle against our fellow
sisters," came a grim voice from the other side.

"Oh, put a centaur's hoof in it Callie," retorted the first girl.
"We're getting to prove ourselves in battle."

"That doesn't mean we have to do it fighting other Amazons," Callie
said, determined to put her point across.

"My mother was killed because of them!" cried the red head, her
face scrunching up in pain. "As far as I'm concerned, they are not our
sisters. They all deserve to go to Tartarus!"

"Rita's right. They don't deserve to be called Amazons. Not after what
they did. I lost a lot of friends in that cursed war," agreed another
Amazon, who looked about sixteen.

"I know, but didn't we all lose people we love?" replied Callie, remembering her older
sister. "But we can't blame them all though. The Queen may be, but what
about the other girls? The ones younger than us. Innocent ones. Are we gonna
kill them too?" She looked around the fire, her accusing gaze searching the
faces of her comrades.

Rita sighed and looked at her friend. "Look we can't disobey our orders,
even if we disagreed with them, Cal. Our Queen and Captain want us to march in
there and leave no one alive, well, that's their decision. We can't argue, so
what's the point in discussing it?"

"We could do something about it. It's just not right," said Cal,
defiantly. "And you know, this all started when that harlot came back. If
it wasn't for Tanva, Litala would never had gone through with this."

"Yeah, I don't know what in the world the Queen was thinking when she
burned Tanva's banishment parchment and allowed her to come back," agreed
an older looking warrior, her blue eyes glinting from old memories. Gabrielle
recognised her as the one who had spoken up for her. "She
was a traitor and traitors never change their ways. Just like hydras. They'll
come back at you with twice the power, and hungry for revenge for the head you
cut off."

The younger amazons were quiet as they thought over what she had said. Then
Rita spoke up. "Just like Kaelin, eh Rani," she said quietly.

Rani looked up at her furiously. "Don't you dare talk about the Princess
that way," she stormed, her eyes taking on a hard edge. Then her eyes
softened as she thought. "Kaelin would never betray us," she said, in
a gentler tone.

"Then how do you explain her being with her," Rita ventured,
jerking her head in the direction of Gabrielle. The bard quickly closed her eyes
as a few of them turned to look at her.

"It's only a rumour," Gabrielle heard Rani say, a hint of
defensiveness creeping into her voice.

"No, no it isn't," replied the girl, her voice growing quieter.
"I was in the trees. I saw her and Xena fighting in the clearing."

"Well, there you have it then," the older Amazon stated. "She
was fighting them."

Gabrielle cracked an eye open to watch them. "It didn't look like proper
fighting to me. Looked like sparring," persisted the redhead.

"What were they using?"

"Swords."

"Were they blunted?

"No."

"Were they fighting all out? Or checking themselves as they
fought?"

"No, they were fighting all out. No holds barred," replied the
girl, her tone resigned.

"There you go then. Did you stay to watch the end? Kaelin might even
have taken Xena out of the equation for us."

"No, I left quickly in case they heard me. Artemis knows I wouldn't want
the wrath of either of those two warriors on me," replied the girl, her
fear of the tall warriors evident.

"Hm. True. Well, we'll still have to be wary of the Warrior Princess
then." She flicked her eyes over to the bard, who swiftly shut her eye
again. "The rumours are definitely true about the protectiveness that she
has for the Southern Queen. To be honest, I can see why," she said, appreciating
the beauty of the Amazon Queen.

The girl shook her head, and stared moodily into the fire. "I still
reckon Kaelin's got mixed up in this," she said, unwillingly to let go of
her notion.

"Rita, give it a rest." It was Callie's turn to quiet her friend.
"Maybe it's part of some big plan that the Queen has and we just don't know
about it. Could be that Queen Litala asked Princess Kaelin to infiltrate their
camp and find out information from the inside. Who knows?"

"That very well could be," said Rani. "But what I do know
is, that Kaelin will give her life for the Northern Amazon tribe. We've seen it
before, haven't we? Hades' balls, she saved the Queen's life more than once.
There's absolutely no way she would turn on us. So if I hear one more slight on
her name from any of you, I tell you now. I'll give you such a good whipping,
that you won't be able to sit for the next moon," warned the Amazon, her
tone signalling the end of that topic.

The other young Amazons looked at each other nervously, knowing that as their
superior, Ranin would carry out her threat if need be. As the Amazon spoke,
Gabrielle began to cough. The first time, she had choked upon hearing this
stunning information about Kaelin but now, her dry throat wouldn't allow her to
stop. The blue-eyed Amazon grabbed a waterskin and stepped over to Gabrielle,
seating herself on a nearby, flat rock. She held it out for Gabrielle to take,
forgetting that her hands were bound. She realised her mistake, and with an
embarrassed smile she uncapped the waterskin and held it to the bard's mouth,
tilting it a little.

"Thank you," smiled Gabrielle, when she was finished.

Ranin just nodded her head, thinking back to the young Callie's words about
'Innocent ones'. As she looked at the small blonde she wondered briefly at how
innocent this Queen was. She guessed she was only a season older than herself,
and yet, she was apparently the ruler of one of the largest tribes of Amazons.
Ranin shook herself and went back to her place by the fire. Still the thought
plagued her that something was amiss. What was Kaelin doing out here?
She had told them that she was going on a quest that Artemis had asked her to fulfill, to Mount Akkas but
that was miles away, she thought worriedly. She trusted Kaelin beyond a
doubt, but she couldn't help wondering about her actions.

Gabrielle on the other hand was beside herself with worry. Her heart was torn as she learned
of the impending battle between her tribe and the Northerners and she quickly
realised she was in a very dangerous position. She wondered what they would do
with her. She had heard
nothing concerning Kaelin and the Northern Amazons before and now she was
hearing that not only was Kaelin trusted immensely by this tribe, but she was a
Princess. Gabrielle considered the possibility that Kaelin was giving
information to these Amazons as very likely. Her troubled thoughts were broken into by the sound of a loud voice
calling for silence in the cave. All the Amazons swiftly ceased their chatter
and turned as one towards the mouth of the cave in silent respect. Gabrielle
squinted, trying to see who it was. A tall, slim woman was standing with her
hand on the hilt of her sword, making sure she had the complete attention of the
women. The bard couldn't make out any features since the woman was standing with
her back to the sun as it was setting, but the regality of her stance immediately signalled to
Gabrielle that Litala was making her presence known.

"Listen up everyone," Litala called. "Your sisters should be
well on their way towards the village by now and it's not long now before you
yourselves will have the chance to honour your tribe in battle." The Queen
paused for a second, letting the information wash over her charges. "I
expect the divisions to be arriving at their designated places as Helios
rides down, anytime now. Until I receive the word, we will remained camped here
You would do well to sharpen your swords and daggers, and oil your bows so that
they do not let you down when you ride forth tonight. I am aware that some of
you have not yet earned your Warrior's Mask, but I think, no, I know that
by the end of this retribution, all of you will have proved your worth to
yourselves, your fellow Amazons, your Queen and most of all, to your Nation. It
is the dawn of a new era in Amazon history, and each and everyone of you will be
part of that legend."

The Queen's proud tone was not lost on the Amazons listening to her speech,
who felt a swell of honour and respect in their hearts. As one, they stood and
saluted their Queen, their right fist over their hearts. Gabrielle watched
silently, admiring the young Queen, not unlike herself, as she realised that
Litala's company would ride to the very depths of Tartarus for their Sovereign.
As the warriors began to sit down again, Gabrielle spotted another woman,
dressed not in the fashion of Amazonian Warriors, but in the long robe of a
healers garb. She came up behind the Queen and whispered something to her, the
Queen nodding her approval. She held up her hand for silence again, which she
received within a matter of seconds.

"My Warriors, our time is nearly at hand. In one candlemark, Captain
Ranin will lead you into the expanse of forest that I am ashamed to call our
Southern sisters' homeland. You are privileged to be in the Company which will
be the crushing force of our victory. Now, prepare yourselves as I will, and I
will see you in battle. May your blood run hot and your steel be the kiss of
death for our enemies. For our Nation!"

"FOR OUR NATION!" called the warriors together.

Immediately, everything was in controlled chaos as the Amazons moved around,
preparing to move out. Gabrielle was left at the back of the cave, still
straining against her bonds when she saw a shadow fall over her. She looked up
only to meet eyes as green as her own in the face of Queen Litala. Her face was
a mask as she studied the woman before her. The healer next to her gently tapped
her Queen on the shoulder, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"My Queen, we should go now. We have to do this quickly," she said,
urgency in her voice.

"Yes, I know," Litala said softly, her perceptive gaze not leaving
Gabrielle's face. Suddenly, she drew a dagger from her belt and cut through the
bonds on her legs and hauled her up from the floor. "Come with me."

Gabrielle had no choice but to go with Litala and her healer. She stumbled as
she made her way out of the cave, her legs still weak from the tight bindings.
The healer grabbed her other arm with her left hand and together the Queen and
the healer took Gabrielle from the dark place. The bard wondered where they were
taking her, as she was lead outside and ordered to mount a large horse. Litala
swung up behind her, taking hold of the reins and bringing the animal under
control. Next to them, the healer had mounted her own horse, a strange glint in
her eyes.

"Your Highness, time is of the essence."

"I know, I know. Let's go then, and finish this." Litala tapped the
horse the back of her feet and it moved off.

"Yes, Highness. Let's go and finish this," the healer repeated,
whispering, her features twisting into a snarl as the Queen rode ahead. She
reached up to absently stroke a thin, white scar that ran from just under her
left eye, down to her chin before kicking her heels into the mount and galloping
after Litala and Gabrielle.

~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kaelin and Eponin sat down heavily in their seats, mud flaking off their skin
to settle on the hut floor. A few seconds later, Xena and Ephiny followed, their
bodies just as dirty and muddy as the other two. Every able body in the village
had been working around the clock from midday until now, working on the defences
and battle plans that they prayed they wouldn't have to use. They had worked in
different groups, each one working on a different area of the forest around the
village and only now they had a chance to regroup and discuss issues.

"Regent! Captains!"

Xena, Kaelin, Ephiny and Eponin looked up sharply as a runner came bursting
into the Strategy Hut door, almost crashing into the table, throwing a rolled up
piece of parchment on it.

"Tamzin? What's wrong?" asked Ephiny, alarmed as the blonde headed girl tried to
catch her breath. Xena picked up the scroll, looking it over and seeing a red
wax stamp sealing it. She recognised it immediately as that of the Northern
Tribe and broke open the seal and began reading.

"One of... of...," the girl stammered, as she tried to explain and
take in oxygen at the same time.

"Put your hands on your head, kid, and breathe. You're no good to us if
you collapse from lack of air," Kaelin ordered, the girl doing as she was
told.

"One of the scouts, Jasila, was making her way back to the compound,
when a red feathered arrow was shot at her. She took the hit in her left
arm." The four women glanced at each other, worriedly, as the girl
continued. "She made it to a watch and sent me here straight away. She had
a note, which had been attached to the arrow." Tamzin pointed to the scroll
that Xena was now looking at.

"What does it say, Xena?" asked Kaelin, anxiously.

Slowly, Xena brought the note down and set it on the table for all to see. It
was clear. In flowing red script was a message from Queen Litala herself.

This
is Litala, Queen of the Amazons, daughter of Cyane. I call on you, Ephiny,
Regent of your tribe to present yourself to me. I will be on the Northern bank
of the River Gailas by the crossing, as the transition of day to night
commences. You may bring one to accompany you. I wish to offer something to you
and your tribe, a gift of a debt still yet to be paid. I will say no more, save
that should you not appear, our gift to you will be delivered still.

Litala,
Queen of the Amazons

Kaelin looked up from the scroll, her face unreadable, but Ephiny thought she
saw a spark of anger glitter in her gray eyes. The Regent herself was silent as
she read the note over Kaelin's shoulder. Xena had not looked up from the
parchment, but seemed to stare at it, her features as stoic as usual as she
thought. Eponin on the other hand, stood up violently, and began voicing her
opinions. The young runner was stunned at the string of foul words that came
rushing out of her Weapon master, usually level headed in stressful situations.

Ephiny shook herself into action. "Tamzin. Is Captain Solari finished
with her section?" she asked the blonde girl.

"Yes, Regent. They're completing the last of the preparations just
now."

"Good. How are they holding up? I know Captain Solari's group have been working for the past
seven candlemarks." Even if they have had some help from our own
sections, Sol's section will be the most exhausted, she thought.

"The mood is grim, but we will do whatever it takes to ensure our
survival," stated the young warrior, with knowledge beyond her years.

"That's good to hear, Tamzin. Spread the word that when this is over, a
celebration is in order." Ephiny smiled at the fourteen year old, knowing
that she needed to boost morale in the ranks.

"Yes, Regent," replied the girl, returning the smile, then running
straight out the door and nearly crashing into Solari, who jumped out of the
girl's way just in time.

"Kids these days," grumbled the Captain of the Guard, as she
trudged into the hut. Her whole face was covered in muck so thick, it looked to
Ephiny like she had grown a new layer of skin. She came to stand behind the
still angry Eponin, who had sat back down and was now deep in thought.

"Everything's ready at the North West section," she reported as she
spied a twig in her friend's brown hair.

"Alright then. We've done all we can. We'll just have to pray that it all
goes according to plan for us," Ephiny stated. "If not, and we have
made a great error, then we'll be defenceless."

"This is the only way we could do it," pointed out Solari, as she
quickly pulled out the errant twig, causing Eponin to twist and look up at her,
the irritation evident on her face. She waved the small twig at her to explain
herself.

"Well, we have a more urgent problem to deal with now," came Xena's
voice from across the table. The dark warrior shoved the parchment over for the
Captain to see.

"Shit," Solari breathed, as she quickly scanned the paper.
"It's nearly dusk now. What are we going to do?" She looked at the
other women in the room.

"We haven't had a chance to talk about it. It only just came in,"
answered the Regent.

"There's nothing to talk about," growled Xena. She looked hard at
Ephiny. "You and me are going there now."

"I don't think that Litala will kill Ephiny, not yet anyway." Kaelin, who
had been silent for a long time suddenly spoke. "Gabrielle, on the other
hand, she meant to kill from the beginning," she added quietly.

"Kaelin's right. She's counting on the fact that we'll fight once
everyone knows what she..." Ephiny didn't finish. She didn't need to. There was
silence for a few seconds.

"Come on. The longer we wait, the less time we have to do anything about
this," Xena pressed, heading towards the door.

"Xena." The dark warrior halted a pace from the doorway and turned
her head to look at Kaelin. "Come back. You're not going. I am."

"What?" Xena looked at her friend, incredulously. The three Amazons
present all felt the tension in the hut increase ten-fold. "I have to be
there!"

"Xena, the moment they see you, they might panic and then there'll be no
chance for Gabrielle!"

"I have to go. I... I have to...to save Gabrielle," Xena finished
softly.

Kaelin gazed sadly at the grief-stricken warrior and shook her head slowly.
"No. I must go, Xena. I know you want to help Gabrielle, but the best way
you can do that by letting me go. I know Litala and... she trusts me. There's no
way you can do anything. Not where she wants to meet us. Across the river, Xena.
Can you fly? Because if you can't, you can't stop Litala or Tanva from hurting
Gabrielle before you get to her."

Xena drew a deep breath, staring intently at the floor. She knew there was no
other way across the river except for that crossing for miles around and that
the Northern Amazon scouts were probably camped in the trees near the river, watching it
for the enemy. She looked up and met Kaelin's gray eyes for what seemed like an
age, then pointed a long finger at her childhood friend.

"You remember your promise, Kae." With that, she stalked out of the
door and into the fading light of the day.